Puzzle Box
by AkuRoku18
Summary: Finally, after his years as the King of Games, Yugi Mutou is a senior at Domino High. He's eager to get out of high school, but he's worried that he hasn't seen Ryou in the days before school gets out. He is determined to tell the Brit how he feels, and it's all thanks to a little puzzle box... Suckish summary is suckish! Yaoi. Heartshipping. Very fluffy. No flaming, please!


**Hey again~! :D I've been getting back into Yu-Gi-Oh recently, so I decided to a little Heartshipping one-shot! I, AkuRoku18, do not own Yugi or Ryou, or Yu-Gi-Oh, and I'm not making a profit by writing this~**

** I hope you enjoy~!  
**

* * *

**Puzzle Box**

It was another normal day at Domino High and Yugi Mutou sat at his desk. Finally a senior in high school, summer was just a few weeks away. He was eager to leave high school and try to forget some of the painful memories of the place. There were the good ones, too, like when he met Jonouchi and Honda and all the fun times at school with his friends, but there were more sad memories than good ones, unfortunately; like when he first got into high school and was bullied more often than not, or when he and Anzu had broken up after about six months of dating. He sighed and ran his fingers through his multicolored pointy hair. _I can't wait to get out of this place…_ His gaze drifted over to an empty desk. Usually Ryou sat there, but recently, he hadn't been coming to school. Secretly, the great King of Games had harbored a crush for the white haired Brit. Yugi furrowed his brows slightly. _I wonder what Ryou's been up to…? I haven't seen him at school for the past couple days… it's almost been a week…_

"Mutou. I hate to interrupt, but just because you are the King of Duelists, that does _not_ mean you can daydream in my class," the teacher said sternly, glaring in Yugi's direction. Some of the kids in the back snickered. Yugi felt himself blush a little.

"Y-Yes, sir. I'm sorry," he promptly replied, being sure to pay attention during the teacher's lecture, but every now and again, he felt his mind drift back to thoughts about a certain white haired Brit…

* * *

Eventually, school was over for the day. Yugi stopped at his locker before heading home, picking up some books and a new puzzle in a box Ryou had given him a couple days before he stopped coming to school. On it was a note that read:

_Yugi,_

_I know you like puzzles, so I got you this one! I can't figure it out and I thought you'd might like to have a go at it._

_Tell me how it goes if you solve it!_

_~R.B_

Yugi smiled a little and opened the box. The puzzle, which formed a small dodecahedron, was already completed; he'd finished solving it the day before. He brought the box back to show Ryou, but he wasn't there. The short male's lips twitched into a frown and he pocketed the small box. He figured he'd have to go find Ryou at some point; his absence worried Yugi. So, the King of Games quickly walked out of the school in the direction of Ryou's apartment. He tried not to think about the worse case scenario, and when he did, he picked up his pace to a hurried jog.

* * *

Yugi, after some time running, reached Ryou's apartment building, panting. He did have stamina for long distance running, but his stature made it a little more difficult. He forced himself to run up the stairs to Ryou's apartment number and quickly knocked on the door. "Hello? Ryou? It's me, Yugi!" Yugi called, pounding on the door. There was no answer, so the short male tried opening the door. It was locked, so Yugi rammed his shoulder into the door. He cringed. "D-damn… Ryou… where are you? You have to be home… right?" Then, he thought of something. _Ryou normally keeps the window to his bathroom unclocked… every time I've been here, it's open!... but I'm three floors up… wait… _Yugi ran back downstairs and around to the back of the building. Just as he'd thought, the window to Ryou's bathroom was open. And, as luck would have it, there was a drain pipe running up the side of the building, conveniently next to the window.

Yugi nodded and set his bag and his books on the ground. He was a fairly good climber, so, with stark confidence, he started to climb the pipe, one foot in front of the other. He reached the top and reached for the window ledge, but suddenly lost his footing. Yugi cried out and grabbed the window ledge, saving himself from falling. He sighed in relief and hoisted himself through the window. He half landed, half collapsed on the bathroom tile. Yugi panted a little but stood up and looked around. _Definitely Ryou's bathroom… everything's so tidy~ _He chuckled a little and opened the bathroom door.

Ryou's apartment was pretty small but had the essentials; a bathroom, a bedroom, a kitchen, and a small living space. Normally, everything was kept organized and neatly cleaned, but everything that was in his apartment was messy and dusty, as if it hadn't been used in years. Yugi narrowed his amethyst eyes and called, "Hello? Ryou? Are you here?" He knocked on the door to Ryou's bedroom. He thought he heard a small cough, so he opened the door to a horrific sight. Ryou Bakura was lying in his bed with his chest, forearms, and neck hastily bandaged to cover up bruises and cuts. His long, white hair was matted and his eyes were closed. He was breathing softly, but raggedly.

Yugi put his hands over his mouth and gasped. "Ryou!" he cried, rushing to the half conscious Brits side, kneeling next to his bed. He looked at Ryou urgently and asked, "Wh-what happened…?!"

"Y… Yugi… is that you?" Ryou asked weakly, his chocolate brown eyes opening slightly. He looked over at the short male and cracked a little smile. "I-I'm glad you're here…"

"Ryou, tell me what happened," Yugi said with a little anger creeping into his voice. He gripped Ryou's sheets so hard his knuckles turned white.

Ryou looked back up at the ceiling and shut his eyes. He murmured, "S-some people from our class… they attacked me…"

"Who. Tell me who," Yugi hissed through gritted teeth. He desperately wanted to get his hands on whoever dared to do this to Ryou. Atemu was no longer around to hold him back. For a split second, he felt like an unchained beast ready to tear apart his enemies…

"Yugi… please don't do anything foolish," whispered Ryou, looking back into Yugi's eyes. Brown met amethyst. Yugi's heart started to beat faster. He had always liked the color of Ryou's eyes… Yugi sighed and nodded, "Okay… I-I won't. But, I do have to get you to a hospital. How long have you been like this?"

"A-a couple days…"

"A couple days?! Ryou, it's nearly been a whole week. How come you never tried to call me?! Or call 9-11 or something?!"

"I-I don't have any money to go to the hospital, and I don't want to bother you…" Ryou coughed. Every muscle in his body felt like it had been stabbed with a cooking knife. But, the coughing got worse, and Ryou could taste the unpleasant metallic taste of blood in his mouth.

Yugi's eyes widened and he nearly shouted, "Bother me?! How could you bother me?! What bothers me is that you never called! You never told me anything!" He felt tears well up in the corners of his eyes, so he stood and turned away from Ryou. "You idiot… you stupid fool…" Yugi cursed, quickly rubbing his eyes.

"I'm sorry… Yugi, I really am… I-I should have known you wouldn't have been bothered…" Ryou muttered, sensing the pain he'd just inflicted to the shorter male. He furrowed his brows and forced himself to sit up.

"N-no! Ryou…" Yugi tried to lay Ryou back down, but the white haired male shoved his hands away.

"I'm such a fool…" Ryou swore under his breath and swung his legs over the bed. Every movement took every bit of energy in the Brits body, but he still managed to stand shakily. He nearly collapsed, so Yugi had to support him by quickly putting a hand on his chest and grabbing his shoulder. Ryou looked at the shorter male painfully and said, "I'm so sorry… for all the worry I must have caused you…"

"No… I shouldn't have yelled like that… that was stupid of me…" Yugi mumbled. He carefully walked Ryou to his slightly dusty couch and sat him down. "J-just stay here… I'll run home and grab my car. Then I'm taking you to the hospital, whether you like it or not." Yugi quickly unlocked the door to Ryou's apartment, threw open the door, and ran down the stairs, not bothering to pick up his belongings he'd left behind the building.

* * *

Yugi felt as if he'd run a marathon. It was no small distance from the Game Shop to Ryou's apartment, and the short male had sprinted the whole way. He opened the door to the Game Shop and ran up to his room, without waiting for a greeting from his grandfather. He burst into his room and rummaged around his desk for his car keys, shoving loose strands of hair out of his face. _Where are they, where are they?! _he thought desperately. Finally, his fingers brushed against his key chain. Yugi grabbed the key chain where his key and a little figurine of Kuriboh hung off the ring. He ran back downstairs quickly.

"Yugi? What are you running around for?" his grandpa asked, looking at the teen inquisitively.

"Ryou! Ryou's been… nevermind, I'll explain later!" Yugi called, running back out of the shop and to his car. It wasn't very big or fancy, but it ran which was the most important thing. He hopped in the driver's seat and started the car, quickly putting the pedal to the metal to drive back to Ryou's. He fortunately wasn't pulled over and arrived at the apartment building in a flash. He turned off the car and sprinted up the stairs, panting heavily by the time he reached the top and ran inside the apartment. Ryou had his eyes closed and he was breathing peacefully. He hadn't moved from his spot where Yugi left him. Yugi sighed in relief and gently shook the other male's shoulder. "Ryou~ Ryou, wake up. I'm back~"

The white haired Brit opened his eyes slowly and let his gaze drift up to Yugi. He smiled a little and said, "That's good…~" He stood again, slowly and shakily, gratefully accepting Yugi's shoulder as support. The two carefully walked down to Yugi's car, where the shorter male had Ryou sit in the passenger's seat as he ran to the back off the building to grab his things. When he ran back, he didn't notice the puzzle box fall out of his pocket…

* * *

Soon, Ryou was safely at the hospital, his wounds treated. Yugi sat next to his bed and breathed a sigh of relief. He was glad he got to Ryou in time before… he didn't want to think about what would've happened if he didn't. He suddenly asked, "Hey… Ryou? Why were you beat up? Did the attackers say anything?"

"Well… it was… because they found out…" Ryou murmured, looking away and blushing slightly.

"F-found out what?"

Ryou looked back at Yugi and smiled slightly, "That I'm gay~ And that I like a certain guy at our school."

"You… you're gay, Ryou?" Yugi asked, feeling his cheeks flush a little. "Who… who d'you like? Or, should I not ask…?" The short male shoved his hands in his pockets. His eyes widened a bit and he suddenly cried out, "Oh no! The puzzle's gone!"

"What…?"

"I-I'll be right back, Ryou!" Yugi said abruptly, standing up and running out of the room.

Ryou sighed a little and muttered, "Damn… I didn't get to…"

* * *

Yugi had driven his car back to the apartment building. He got out and desperately started searching for the puzzle box. He assumed he dropped it when he hastily grabbed his school bag and books. His eyes combed the ground, looking… looking. He didn't see it and hung his head in dismay. "I… can't have lost it… Ryou gave that to me… I was gonna show it to him…" he whispered, sitting on the cold ground and burying his face in his knees. He looked up at the clouded sky and shivered. "Dammit… I wanted to tell him so badly… tell him how I feel…" Yugi felt his eyes water and he hid his face in his knees again.

The wind blew a light breeze, ruffling Yugi's multicolored hair. He looked up and gasped. A stray cat was batting at some rectangular object… it was the puzzle box. "Hey… hey!" Yugi stood up and ran to the cat. The lithe creature hissed at him, not wanting to give up its possession. The short male growled, "Back off, cat. That's mine." He reached for the box, and the cat swiftly scratched his hand. He cried out and fell backwards, clutching his hand. The cat yowled and jumped on him, claws unsheathed and trying to scratch at any exposed skin. Yugi threw the cat off of him, his hands and face covered in scratches. The cat hissed again and ran off into the shadows.

Yugi winced as he stood up. "D-damn cat…" he muttered, bending down to pick up the box. He opened it to see that wooden dodecahedron was still intact. He grinned a little and jogged back to his car, ignoring his various scratches and driving back to the hospital.

* * *

Ryou watched the door expectantly, as if Yugi were to come back in at any time. He sighed and thought, _I hope nothing happened to him…_ As if on cue, the shorter male burst back in the room, breathing quickly and covered in scratches. "Y-Yugi! What the hell happened to you?" Ryou asked with concern clearly showing in his voice.

"Cat… cat attack," Yugi panted. He held out the puzzle box in his hand and said triumphantly, "I found the box, though!" He sat in his chair next to Ryou again, this time more winded. Ryou chuckled, which grew to a light laugh. Yugi hadn't heard Ryou's laugh, and smiled at the sound of it. "What's so funny~?"

"Just… you~" Ryou laughed. He looked at the box and asked, "Did you finish it?"

"Yep~ Here, lemme show you…" Yugi opened the box and showed Ryou the wooden dodecahedron. He set the box on the hospital nightstand. "Pretty impressive, huh~?"

"Yeah. I am impressed, but I expected nothing less from you, Yugi," the white haired Brit said, smiling warmly. Yugi chuckled a little, scratching the back of his head.

Yugi looked at the ground, with a light blush on his face, and asked, "S-so… were you gonna tell me…?"

"Hmm?"

"Before I left, I asked who it was you liked. You know, at our school. It's okay if you don't want to tell me, though."

Ryou blinked slowly and beamed at Yugi. He sat up and turned to face the shorter male. He reached down and lightly lifted Yugi's hands to his lips, kissing them gently. Yugi felt his face flush an even darker shade of red. "R-Ryou…?"

"Silly~ The person I like is you, Yugi~" Ryou laughed again, setting his and Yugi's hands in his lap. He smiled softly, red slightly tinting his pale cheeks.

"M-me…? You really like me, Ryou?" Yugi asked, looking into Ryou's chocolate colored eyes. He was dumbstruck. His secret crush, Ryou Bakura, had actually said that he felt the same way as he did. Yugi grinned widely and let his tears roll down his face. "I-I'm so happy, Ryou!" He pulled Ryou's hands towards him and tried to hide his face in their interlocked fingers.

"I'm glad, Yugi~" Ryou closed his eyes and smiled softly, leaning closer to the shorter male. He tilted Yugi's head up to face his own and gently pressed his lips against the others. Yugi's eyes widened, but didn't fight back. He just wanted to stay in that position. He didn't have a care in the world. He finally had the guy he loved. The two parted and Yugi immediately pulled Ryou into a hug, throwing his arms around the white haired male's neck.

"Ryou… I'm so happy… you… you've made me the happiest guy in the world…" sobbed Yugi softly, tears freely rolling down his cheeks.

Ryou chuckled and returned Yugi's hug, wrapping his arms around the shorter male's neck. "I'm glad… I've always liked you Yugi…" Ryou admitted, burying his face in Yugi's shoulder. "I've never really had the guts to tell you…"

"I've… I've liked you for as long I remember, too. I guess I just haven't accepted my feelings till now…" Yugi shut his eyes and smiled. "But, now I have. And for the first time, I can say this sincerely…" He pulled back slightly and said lovingly, "I love you, Ryou~"

"And I love you, Yugi~" Ryou chuckled, grabbing one of Yugi's hands and grasping it tightly. The nurse eventually knocked on the door and told Ryou that it was time for him to get some rest. Ryou laid back in his bed as the nurse turned off the lights. He fell asleep with Yugi next to him, his fingers still intertwined with Yugi's


End file.
